Vehicular control system with cross traffic alert and collision avoidance

ABSTRACT

A vehicular driving assist system includes a plurality of cameras and a plurality of sensors disposed at a vehicle. The plurality of sensors includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a plurality of radar sensors and a plurality of lidar sensors. Electronic circuitry of an electronic control unit includes an image processor for processing image data captured by the cameras and a processor for processing sensor data captured by the sensors. The system, while the vehicle is travelling in a forward direction and responsive to processing of image data captured by the cameras and sensor data captured by the sensors, is operable to determine presence of an object approaching a path of travel of the vehicle. The system, responsive to determining presence of the object approaching the path of travel of the vehicle, communicates an alert to a driver of the vehicle.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the filing benefits of U.S. provisionalapplication Ser. No. 63/366,942, filed Jun. 24, 2022, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a vehicular sensing systemfor a vehicle and, more particularly, to a vehicular sensing system thatutilizes multiple sensors at a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Use of imaging sensors in vehicle imaging systems is common and known.Examples of such known systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,949,331; 5,670,935 and/or 5,550,677, which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties. Use of radar sensors in vehiclesensing systems is common and known. Examples of such known systems aredescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,146,898; 8,027,029 and/or 8,013,780, whichare hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A driving assistance system or vision system or imaging system orsensing system for a vehicle utilizes one or more cameras (preferablyone or more CMOS cameras) to capture image data representative of imagesexterior of the vehicle and one or more sensors (such as ultrasonicsensors or radar sensors) to capture sensor data exterior of thevehicle, and provides a forward cross-traffic alert to a driver of thevehicle when, based on processing of the captured image data and/orprocessing of the captured sensor data, the system determines presenceof an object approaching a path of travel of the vehicle. Based at leastin part on a driving environment at the vehicle, and when operating todetermine presence of the object approaching the path of travel of thevehicle, the system adjusts weighting of processing of the image datacaptured by the cameras and processing of sensor data captured by thesensors.

These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of thepresent invention will become apparent upon review of the followingspecification in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle with a sensing system thatincorporates cameras;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan views of the vehicle in a parking lot where thesystem uses sensor data captured by ultrasonic sensors to determinepresence of an approaching vehicle in a blind spot of the driver;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are plan views of the vehicle in the parking lot where thesystem uses sensor data captured by forward viewing cameras or lidarsensors to determine presence of the approaching vehicle in the blindspot of the driver; and

FIGS. 6 and 7 are plan views of the vehicle in the parking lot where thesystem uses sensor data captured by radar sensors to determine presenceof the approaching vehicle in the blind spot of the driver.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A vehicle vision system and/or driver or driving assist system and/orobject detection system and/or alert system operates to capture imagesor sensor data exterior of the vehicle and may process the capturedimage data or sensor data to display images and to detect objects at ornear the vehicle and in the predicted path of the vehicle, such as toassist a driver of the vehicle in maneuvering the vehicle in a rearwardor forward direction when the driver's view rearward or forward of thevehicle is at least partially obstructed by obstacles in theenvironment. The vision system includes a processor or image processoror image processing system that is operable to receive image data orsensor data from one or more cameras or sensors. Optionally, the systemmay provide an output to a display device for displaying imagesrepresentative of the captured image data. Optionally, the vision systemmay provide display, such as a rearview display or a top down or bird'seye or surround view display or the like.

Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depictedtherein, a vehicle 10 includes an imaging system or vision system 12that includes at least one exterior viewing imaging sensor or camera,such as a rearward viewing imaging sensor or camera 14 a (and the systemmay optionally include multiple exterior viewing imaging sensors orcameras, such as a forward viewing camera 14 b at the front (or at thewindshield) of the vehicle, and a sideward/rearward viewing camera 14 c,14 d at respective sides of the vehicle), which captures images exteriorof the vehicle, with the camera having a lens for focusing images at oronto an imaging array or imaging plane or imager of the camera (FIG. 1). Optionally, a forward viewing camera may be disposed at thewindshield of the vehicle and view through the windshield and forward ofthe vehicle, such as for a machine vision system (such as for trafficsign recognition, headlamp control, pedestrian detection, collisionavoidance, lane marker detection and/or the like). The vision system 12includes a control or electronic control unit (ECU) 18 having electroniccircuitry and associated software, with the electronic circuitryincluding a data processor and/or image processor that is operable toprocess image data captured by the camera or cameras, whereby the ECUmay detect or determine presence of objects or the like and/or thesystem provide displayed images at a display device 16 for viewing bythe driver of the vehicle (although shown in FIG. 1 as being part of orincorporated in or at an interior rearview mirror assembly 20 of thevehicle, the control and/or the display device may be disposed elsewhereat or in the vehicle). The data transfer or signal communication fromthe camera to the ECU may comprise any suitable data or communicationlink, such as a vehicle network bus or the like of the equipped vehicle.

When driving the vehicle in a forward direction, the driver may rely onhis or her field of view through the windshield and/or windows of thevehicle to determine if hazards (such as obstacles or approachingtraffic) are present in the environment. When a vehicle is being atleast partially controlled or driven by an advanced driver assistancesystem (ADAS), such as adaptive cruise control, lane centering systems,automatic parking and unparking systems, and the like, these systemstypically rely on sensor data captured by a windshield mounted camera orsensor having a similar field of view through the windshield as thedriver of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the driver's field of view and/or the field of viewof a windshield mounted camera or sensor may be at least partiallyobstructed or blocked in certain forward driving situations where anobstacle is present immediately adjacent and/or at least partiallyforward of the equipped vehicle. For example, the field of view of thedriver and/or the windshield mounted sensor of the equipped vehicle 10may be blind spotted or obstructed for oncoming traffic vehicles 13 whenthe equipped vehicle is pulling forward out of a parking spot and anobstructing vehicle 11 is parked in the parking spot adjacent theequipped vehicle. In other words, the obstructing vehicle 11 creates ablind spot for the driver and/or windshield mounted sensor of theequipped vehicle, preventing or limiting the driver and/or sensor's viewof approaching vehicles 13 travelling toward the path of travel of theequipped vehicle, such as in close proximity at a wide angle relative tothe equipped vehicle 10.

Thus, the vehicular sensing system or driving assistance system 12 mayprovide a forward sensing cross-traffic alert system that, when thevehicle is travelling in a forward direction, senses approaching objectsapproaching the vehicle or a path of travel of the vehicle, such as inclose proximity or approaching and at a wide angle relative to theforward direction of the vehicle (e.g., perpendicular to the forwarddirection of the vehicle). The driver of the vehicle may be alerted asto the presence of the approaching object and/or the driving assistancesystem 12 may apply a corrective driving maneuver (e.g., applying thebrakes of the vehicle) to avoid collision with the approaching object.The forward sensing cross-traffic alert system may use ultrasonicsensors, forward viewing cameras (such as a windshield mounted camera orforward viewing cameras mounted at the front of the vehicle, such as atthe front bumper or grill fascia), and/or radar sensors to sense theapproaching objects.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the vehicle 10 may include one or moreultrasonic sensors 22 disposed at a forward portion of the vehicle, suchas at the front bumper or grill fascia of the vehicle. Each ultrasonicsensor 22 may have a corresponding field of sensing 24 emanating fromthe vehicle, such as at least forward and sideward of the vehicle.Fields of sensing 24 of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors 22 maycombine to provide a 180 degree (or 360 degree) or more field of sensingfor the system 12. Via processing of sensor data captured by theultrasonic sensors 22, the system 12 may detect objects at or near theequipped vehicle, such as traffic approaching from either side of thevehicle when the vehicle is travelling in the forward direction. Even ifone or more of the fields of sensing 24 of the ultrasonic sensors 22 areinitially blocked when the equipped vehicle 10 begins moving forward,the ultrasonic sensors 22 will be able to sense approaching objects 13sooner than the field of view of the driver becomes unobstructed. Inother words, because the ultrasonic sensors 22 are positioned furthertoward the front of the vehicle than the driver's viewing positionwithin the vehicle, objects and other vehicles may enter the field ofsensing of the ultrasonic sensors 22 before the objects and othervehicles are viewable by the driver.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 , the vehicle 10, in addition to a windshieldmounted camera 14 e mounted at the inner surface of the windshield andviewing through the windshield and forward of the vehicle, may includeone or more forward viewing cameras or lidar sensors 26 disposed at thefront of the vehicle (such as at the front bumper or grill fascia) andhaving respective fields of view 28 originating at a more forwardposition of the vehicle than the windshield mounted camera 14 e. Fieldsof view 28 of the forward viewing cameras or lidar sensors 26 may extendat least forward and sideward from the front portion of the vehicle. Theforward viewing cameras 26 may be part of a surround view monitoringsystem (SVS) of the vehicle that processes image data captured by one ormore cameras at the vehicle to provide a 360 degree or surround view orbird's eye view or top down view of the vehicle. Similar to theultrasonic sensors 22, the forward viewing cameras or lidar sensors 26may detect objects or traffic approaching from either side of thevehicle sooner than the driver or the windshield mounted camera 14 e maybe able to detect the approaching objects. That is, because the forwardviewing cameras or lidar sensors 26 are positioned further toward thefront of the vehicle than the windshield mounted camera 14 e and thedriver's viewing position within the vehicle, objects and other vehiclesmay enter the field of view of the forward viewing cameras or lidarsensors 26 before the objects and other vehicles are viewable by thewindshield mounted camera 14 e or the driver. Thus, by processing theimage data captured by the forward viewing cameras 26, the system maydetect objects and other vehicles sooner than if the system were to onlyprocess image data captured by the windshield mounted camera 14 e andthus the driver and/or system may more quickly react to potentialcollisions.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7 , the vehicle 10 may also or otherwiseinclude one or more radar sensors 30 disposed at a forward position ofthe vehicle, such as embedded into the headlamp or at the front bumperor grill fascia. Each radar sensor 30 may have a corresponding field ofsensing 32, such as at least forward and sideward of the vehicle, andthe combined field of sensing of the radar sensors 30 allows the system12 to detect objects approaching from either side of the vehicle 10.Similar to the ultrasonic sensors 22 and the forward viewing cameras orlidar sensors 26, the radar sensors 30 may detect approaching objectsbefore the driver or windshield mounted camera 14 e is able to detectthe approaching object. That is, sensor data captured by the radarsensors 30 is processed by the system to detect presence of objects orother vehicles that may not be detectable by the windshield mountedcamera 14 e or the driver of the vehicle.

Responsive to determining presence of an approaching object viaprocessing of sensor data captured by one or more of the ultrasonicsensors 22, windshield-mounted camera 14 e, forward viewing cameras orlidar sensors 26, or the radar sensors 30, the system 12 may alert thedriver as to the approaching object and/or perform a corrective drivingmaneuver to avoid or reduce risk of collision with the approachingobject (e.g., applying automatic braking). For example, the system 12may provide an audible tone and/or illuminate an indicator light at theinterior portion of the vehicle. The alert may correspond to a directionof the approaching vehicle, such as illuminating an indicator light(e.g., a blind spot indicator at an exterior rearview mirror) at a sideof the vehicle corresponding to the approaching vehicle or playing theaudible tone out of a speaker corresponding to the approaching vehicle.Thus, if the other vehicle is approaching a passenger side of theequipped vehicle, the system may illuminate the indicator light at thepassenger side and/or play the audio tone out of a speaker at thepassenger side of the vehicle. This directs the driver's attentiontoward the side of the vehicle at which the other vehicle is approachingto prompt corrective action.

Optionally, the system may activate the display to provide forwardcross-traffic images derived from the image data captured by the forwardviewing cameras and including the approaching object. For example, thesystem may display wide angle video images (e.g., 180 degrees or more)to show the approaching vehicle as it approaches and crosses the path oftravel of the equipped vehicle. The system may generate a graphicoverlay at the displayed video images, such as to highlight theapproaching vehicle or direct the driver's attention toward the displayand the view of the approaching vehicle. Optionally, the system maydisplay video images generated from image data captured by only thecameras currently viewing the approaching vehicle. For example, when theother vehicle is approaching the passenger side of the equipped vehicle,the system may display video images captured by the passenger sidecamera and, as the vehicle moves across the path of travel of thevehicle and away from the driver side of the vehicle, the system maydisplay video images captured by the driver side camera.

The system may perform a driving maneuver responsive to determiningpresence of the approaching object, such as applying the brakes of thevehicle. That is, responsive to determining that a detected object orother vehicle is at or near or approaching the path of travel of theequipped vehicle as the equipped vehicle is travelling along the path oftravel, the system controls operation of the vehicle to avoid or reducechances of collision with the approaching vehicle. The system maycontrol the braking system, steering system and/or powertrain of thevehicle to steer the vehicle, accelerate and/or decelerate the vehicleas necessary.

Optionally, in response to detecting the approaching vehicle, the systemmay determine a risk of collision associated with the approachingvehicle. That is, the system determines a likelihood of collisionbetween the approaching vehicle and the equipped vehicle, and/or thesystem determines a time to collision (TTC) between the approachingvehicle and the equipped vehicle. The system may only perform thedriving maneuver (e.g., apply the brakes) if a determined risk ofcollision with the approaching object is above a threshold risk. Thesystem may determine the TTC or other qualities of the approachingvehicle utilizing characteristics of the systems described in U.S.Publication No. US-2023-0032998, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

In some examples, the system may also provide increasing levels ofalerts and only perform the driving maneuver after providing lowerlevels of alert. For example, the system may initially provide theaudible tone when presence of the approaching object is detected andrisk of collision is low, then activate the display to provide theforward cross-traffic images if risk of collision increases, and thenactivate the brakes of the vehicle if risk of collision increases andsurpasses the threshold risk.

Certain driving or environmental conditions may allow for one set ofsensors to determine presence of approaching vehicles better thananother set of sensors. For example, the forward viewing cameras 26 maybecome occluded, such as due to rain, dirt, bugs, or other debris orweather conditions, and the ultrasonic sensors 22 or radar sensors 30may be able to better sense the approaching objects. Thus, the systemmay, simultaneously or within the same time interval or at the same timeinstance, capture sensor data using multiple sensors or sets of sensorsto determine presence of approaching objects. For example, the systemmay process image data captured by the forward viewing cameras 26 andsensor data captured by one or more of the ultrasonic sensors 22 and theradar sensors 30 (at or near the same time instance) to determinepresence of approaching objects.

Optionally, if sensor data captured by one sensor or set of sensors isdetermined to be unreliable (such as if image data captured by theforward viewing cameras 26 is determined to have occlusions), the system12 may begin processing sensor data from another sensor or set ofsensors or may provide greater weight to or reliance on processing ofsensor data from another sensor or set of sensors. That is, determiningwhether an object or vehicle is approaching the path of travel of theequipped vehicle may include weighting the sensor data captured by theforward viewing cameras 26, the radar sensors 30, and the ultrasonicsensors 22 (e.g., applying higher weight or lower weight to sensor datacaptured by one or more of the sensors).

Further, the weighting of the respective sensor data and/or image datamay be adjusted based on environmental conditions or driving environmentat the vehicle and/or a determined condition or driving condition of thevehicle. For example, during rainy or snowy or cold weather conditions(environmental conditions), the system may determine that the capturedimage data is likely to be unreliable and/or that visibility at thevehicle may be poor or compromised (due to likelihood of rain, snowand/or ice at least partially blocking the view of the camera) and mayprocess (or apply greater weight to processing of) sensor data from theultrasonic sensors 22 and/or radar sensors 30 to determine presence ofobjects or other vehicles. Thus, if the system determines that theenvironmental or weather conditions are rainy or snowy or cold (such asbased on a rain sensor at the vehicle, a thermometer at the vehicle, orbased on weather information or forecasts from a remote server inwireless communication with the system), the system may switch toreliance or greater reliance on the other sensors.

Further, the environmental condition may be determined based on a userinput. For example, the vehicle may include a drive mode selector withinthe vehicle cabin for the driver to select a drive mode of the vehicle(e.g., a normal drive mode, a sport drive mode, an eco-drive mode, amountain drive mode, a slippery drive mode and the like) and based onthe user selection of one or more of the drive modes (e.g., the slipperydrive mode), the system may adjust processing and/or weighting of theradar sensor data, ultrasonic sensor data and image data. Because thedriver may select the slippery drive mode based on poor environmentalconditions (e.g., snow or rain), the system may apply greater weight toradar sensor data and/or ultrasonic sensor data and the system may applyreduced weight to image data.

Optionally, the system may initially detect presence of an approachingobject via processing of one of the captured image data or capturedsensor data and confirm presence of the approaching object viaprocessing of another of the captured image data or captured sensordata. For example, the system may detect presence of an approachingobject based on sensor data captured by the ultrasonic sensors 22 andconfirm that the object is a vehicle approaching the path of travel ofthe equipped vehicle based on image data captured by the forward viewingcameras 26.

Optionally, the system may be activated (i.e., begin processing capturedsensor data to determine presence of approaching objects) responsive toa determined driving condition of the vehicle, such as based on aselected gear of the vehicle or a geographic location of the vehicle.That is, system may be activated responsive to a gear selector of thevehicle shifting from park to a forward driving gear, or responsive todetermination that the vehicle is located in a parking lot or drivewayor intersection or location known to have an obstructed view (such as astreet corner with hedges or trees blocking the driver's view of theintersection). For example, the system may determine that the equippedvehicle is approaching an intersection with a pedestrian crosswalk andthe system may begin processing captured sensor data to monitor forpresence of pedestrians in the crosswalk or at the street corner thatmight be obstructed from the view of the driver and/or the windshieldmounted camera.

Optionally, the system may determine a blind spot of the driver and/orwindshield mounted sensor (such as by determining that an obstructingobject is in close proximity to the vehicle) and, in response to thedetermined blind spot, process sensor data to determine presence ofobjects in the blind spot. For example, a blind spot may be determinedfor the windshield mounted sensor and, in response, the system mayprocess sensor data captured by radar sensors at the front bumpers ofthe vehicle to determine whether objects are present in the determinedblind spot.

The camera or sensor may comprise any suitable camera or sensor.Optionally, the camera may comprise a “smart camera” that includes theimaging sensor array and associated circuitry and image processingcircuitry and electrical connectors and the like as part of a cameramodule, such as by utilizing aspects of the vision systems described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 10,099,614 and/or 10,071,687, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The system includes an image processor operable to process image datacaptured by the camera or cameras, such as for detecting objects orother vehicles or pedestrians or the like in the field of view of one ormore of the cameras. For example, the image processor may comprise animage processing chip selected from the EYEQ family of image processingchips available from Mobileye Vision Technologies Ltd. of Jerusalem,Israel, and may include object detection software (such as the typesdescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,855,755; 7,720,580 and/or 7,038,577, whichare hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties), andmay analyze image data to detect vehicles and/or other objects.Responsive to such image processing, and when an object or other vehicleis detected, the system may generate an alert to the driver of thevehicle and/or may generate an overlay at the displayed image tohighlight or enhance display of the detected object or vehicle, in orderto enhance the driver's awareness of the detected object or vehicle orhazardous condition during a driving maneuver of the equipped vehicle.

The vehicle may include any type of sensor or sensors, such as imagingsensors or radar sensors or lidar sensors or ultrasonic sensors or thelike. The imaging sensor or camera may capture image data for imageprocessing and may comprise any suitable camera or sensing device, suchas, for example, a two dimensional array of a plurality of photosensorelements arranged in at least 640 columns and 480 rows (at least a640×480 imaging array, such as a megapixel imaging array or the like),with a respective lens focusing images onto respective portions of thearray. The photosensor array may comprise a plurality of photosensorelements arranged in a photosensor array having rows and columns. Theimaging array may comprise a CMOS imaging array having at least 300,000photosensor elements or pixels, preferably at least 500,000 photosensorelements or pixels and more preferably at least one million photosensorelements or pixels or at least three million photosensor elements orpixels or at least five million photosensor elements or pixels arrangedin rows and columns. The imaging array may capture color image data,such as via spectral filtering at the array, such as via an RGB (red,green and blue) filter or via a red/red complement filter or such as viaan RCC (red, clear, clear) filter or the like. The logic and controlcircuit of the imaging sensor may function in any known manner, and theimage processing and algorithmic processing may comprise any suitablemeans for processing the images and/or image data.

Optionally, the camera may comprise a forward viewing camera, such asdisposed at a windshield electronics module (WEM) or the like. Theforward viewing camera may utilize aspects of the systems described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 9,896,039; 9,871,971; 9,596,387; 9,487,159; 8,256,821;7,480,149; 6,824,281 and/or 6,690,268, and/or U.S. Publication Nos.US-2020-0039447; US-2015-0327398; US-2015-0015713; US-2014-0160284;US-2014-0226012 and/or US-2009-0295181, which are all herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The system may utilize sensors, such as radar sensors or imaging radarsensors or lidar sensors or the like, to detect presence of and/or rangeto other vehicles and objects at the intersection. The sensing systemmay utilize aspects of the systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos.10,866,306; 9,954,955; 9,869,762; 9,753,121; 9,689,967; 9,599,702;9,575,160; 9,146,898; 9,036,026; 8,027,029; 8,013,780; 7,408,627;7,405,812; 7,379,163; 7,379,100; 7,375,803; 7,352,454; 7,340,077;7,321,111; 7,310,431; 7,283,213; 7,212,663; 7,203,356; 7,176,438;7,157,685; 7,053,357; 6,919,549; 6,906,793; 6,876,775; 6,710,770;6,690,354; 6,678,039; 6,674,895 and/or 6,587,186, and/or U.S.Publication Nos. US-2019-0339382; US-2018-0231635; US-2018-0045812;US-2018-0015875; US-2017-0356994; US-2017-0315231; US-2017-0276788;US-2017-0254873; US-2017-0222311 and/or US-2010-0245066, which arehereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The radar sensors of the sensing system each comprise a plurality oftransmitters that transmit radio signals via a plurality of antennas, aplurality of receivers that receive radio signals via the plurality ofantennas, with the received radio signals being transmitted radiosignals that are reflected from an object present in the field ofsensing of the respective radar sensor. The system includes an ECU orcontrol that includes a data processor for processing sensor datacaptured by the radar sensors. The ECU or sensing system may be part ofa driving assist system of the vehicle, with the driving assist systemcontrols at least one function or feature of the vehicle (such as toprovide autonomous driving control of the vehicle) responsive toprocessing of the data captured by the radar sensors.

Optionally, the vision system may include a display for displayingimages captured by one or more of the imaging sensors for viewing by thedriver of the vehicle while the driver is normally operating thevehicle. Optionally, for example, the vision system may include a videodisplay device, such as by utilizing aspects of the video displaysystems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,530,240; 6,329,925; 7,855,755;7,626,749; 7,581,859; 7,446,650; 7,338,177; 7,274,501; 7,255,451;7,195,381; 7,184,190; 5,668,663; 6,690,268; 7,370,983; 7,329,013;7,308,341; 7,289,037; 7,249,860; 7,004,593; 4,546,551; 5,699,044;4,953,305; 5,576,687; 5,632,092; 5,708,410; 5,737,226; 5,802,727;6,087,953; 6,173,501; 6,222,460; 6,513,252 and/or 6,642,851, and/or U.S.Publication Nos. US-2014-0022390; US-2012-0162427; US-2006-0050018and/or US-2006-0061008, which are all hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

Optionally, the vision system (utilizing the forward viewing camera anda rearward viewing camera and other cameras disposed at the vehicle withexterior fields of view) may be part of or may provide a display of atop-down view or bird's-eye view system of the vehicle or a surroundview at the vehicle, such as by utilizing aspects of the vision systemsdescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,071,687; 9,900,522; 9,834,153; 9,762,880;9,596,387; 9,264,672; 9,126,525 and/or 9,041,806, and/or U.S.Publication No. US-2015-0022664, which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments canbe carried out without departing from the principles of the invention,which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appendedclaims, as interpreted according to the principles of patent lawincluding the doctrine of equivalents.

1. A vehicular driving assist system, the vehicular driving assistsystem comprising: a plurality of cameras disposed at a vehicle equippedwith the vehicular driving assist system and viewing exterior of thevehicle, the cameras capturing image data; wherein each camera of theplurality of cameras comprises a CMOS imaging array, having at least onemillion photosensors arranged in rows and columns; a plurality ofsensors disposed at the vehicle, the plurality of sensors capturingsensor data; wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least oneselected from the group consisting of (i) a plurality of radar sensorsand (ii) a plurality of lidar sensors; wherein the plurality of sensorsincludes at least (i) a driver-side sensor that senses at least forwardand sideward of the vehicle and (ii) a passenger-side sensor that sensesat least forward and sideward of the vehicle; an electronic control unit(ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software; whereinthe electronic circuitry of the ECU comprises at least one dataprocessor for processing image data captured by the plurality of camerasand for processing sensor data captured by the plurality of sensors;wherein the vehicular driving assist system, while the vehicle istravelling in a forward direction along a path of travel and responsiveto processing at the ECU of image data captured by the plurality ofcameras and sensor data captured by the plurality of sensors, isoperable to determine presence of an object approaching the path oftravel of the vehicle; wherein the vehicular driving assist system,based at least in part on a driving environment at the vehicle, and whenoperating to determine presence of the object approaching the path oftravel of the vehicle, adjusts (i) processing at the ECU of the imagedata captured by the plurality of cameras and (ii) processing at the ECUof the sensor data captured by the plurality of sensors; and wherein thevehicular driving assist system, responsive to determining presence ofthe object approaching the path of travel of the vehicle, alerts adriver of the vehicle.
 2. The vehicular driving assist system of claim1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises the plurality of radarsensors.
 3. The vehicular driving assist system of claim 1, wherein theplurality of sensors comprises the plurality of lidar sensors.
 4. Thevehicular driving assist system of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofsensors comprises (i) the plurality of radar sensors and (ii) theplurality of lidar sensors.
 5. The vehicular driving assist system ofclaim 1, wherein the vehicular driving assist system, based at least inpart on a driving condition at the vehicle, begins processing image datacaptured by the plurality of cameras and sensor data captured by theplurality of sensors.
 6. The vehicular driving assist system of claim 5,wherein the driving condition is determined by the vehicular drivingassist system.
 7. The vehicular driving assist system of claim 6,wherein the driving condition comprises determination that the vehicleis travelling in the forward direction and below a threshold speed. 8.The vehicular driving assist system of claim 6, wherein the drivingcondition comprises determination that a geographic location of thevehicle corresponds to one selected from the group consisting of (i) aparking lot, (ii) an intersection and (iii) a driveway.
 9. The vehiculardriving assist system of claim 1, wherein the vehicular driving assistsystem alerts the driver via an audible tone.
 10. The vehicular drivingassist system of claim 1, wherein the vehicular driving assist systemalerts the driver via illumination of an indicator light at an interiorportion of the vehicle.
 11. The vehicular driving assist system of claim1, wherein the vehicular driving assist system alerts the driver viadisplay of forward cross-traffic video images at a display at aninterior portion of the vehicle, and wherein the forward cross-trafficvideo images are derived from the image data captured by at least onecamera of the plurality of cameras.
 12. The vehicular driving assistsystem of claim 1, wherein the vehicular driving assist system,responsive to determining presence of the object and responsive todetermination that a risk of collision between the vehicle and theobject is greater than a threshold risk, controls braking of the vehicleto reduce speed of the vehicle in the forward direction.
 13. Thevehicular driving assist system of claim 12, wherein the vehiculardriving assist system controls braking of the vehicle to stop thevehicle.
 14. The vehicular driving assist system of claim 1, wherein thedriving environment is determined by the vehicular driving assistsystem.
 15. The vehicular driving assist system of claim 14, wherein thevehicular driving assist system, responsive to the driving environmentat the vehicle corresponding to an environment in which sensor datacaptured by the plurality of sensors is compromised, increases relianceon processing at the ECU of the image data captured by the plurality ofcameras and decreases reliance on of processing at the ECU of the sensordata captured by the plurality of sensors.
 16. The vehicular drivingassist system of claim 14, wherein the vehicular driving assist system,responsive to the driving environment at the vehicle being indicative ofvisibility at the vehicle being compromised, reduces reliance onprocessing at the ECU of the image data captured by the plurality ofcameras and increases reliance on processing at the ECU of the sensordata captured by the plurality of sensors.
 17. The vehicular drivingassist system of claim 16, wherein the determined driving environment atthe vehicle is determined to be indicative of visibility at the vehiclebeing compromised based on determination that the image data captured bythe plurality of cameras is compromised.
 18. The vehicular drivingassist system of claim 14, wherein the vehicular driving assist systemdetermines the driving environment at the vehicle based on a signalreceived by the vehicular driving assist system, and wherein the signalreceived by the vehicular driving assist system is representative of anenvironmental condition at the vehicle.
 19. The vehicular driving assistsystem of claim 18, wherein the signal representative of theenvironmental condition at the vehicle is communicated to the vehiculardriving assist system by a rain sensor of the vehicle.
 20. The vehiculardriving assist system of claim 18, wherein the signal representative ofthe environmental condition at the vehicle comprises a weather forecastwirelessly communicated to the vehicular driving assist system from aremote server.
 21. The vehicular driving assist system of claim 14, thevehicular driving assist system determines the driving environment atthe vehicle based on a user input.
 22. The vehicular driving assistsystem of claim 21, wherein the user input comprises selection of adrive mode of the vehicle.
 23. A vehicular driving assist system, thevehicular driving assist system comprising: a plurality of camerasdisposed at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular driving assist systemand viewing exterior of the equipped vehicle, the cameras capturingimage data; wherein each camera of the plurality of cameras comprises aCMOS imaging array, having at least one million photosensors arranged inrows and columns; a plurality of sensors disposed at the equippedvehicle, the plurality of sensors capturing sensor data; wherein theplurality of sensors comprises at least one selected from the groupconsisting of (i) a plurality of radar sensors and (ii) a plurality oflidar sensors; wherein the plurality of sensors includes at least (i) adriver-side sensor that senses at least forward and sideward of theequipped vehicle and (ii) a passenger-side sensor that senses at leastforward and sideward of the equipped vehicle; an electronic control unit(ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software; whereinthe electronic circuitry of the ECU comprises at least one dataprocessor for processing image data captured by the plurality of camerasand for processing sensor data captured by the plurality of sensors;wherein the vehicular driving assist system, based at least in part on adriving condition at the equipped vehicle, begins processing image datacaptured by the plurality of cameras and sensor data captured by theplurality of sensors; wherein the driving condition comprisesdetermination that the equipped vehicle is travelling in the forwarddirection and below a threshold speed; wherein the vehicular drivingassist system, while the equipped vehicle is travelling in a forwarddirection along a path of travel and responsive to processing at the ECUof image data captured by the plurality of cameras and sensor datacaptured by the plurality of sensors, is operable to determine presenceof another vehicle approaching the path of travel of the equippedvehicle; wherein the vehicular driving assist system, based at least inpart on a driving environment at the equipped vehicle, and whenoperating to determine presence of the other vehicle approaching thepath of travel of the equipped vehicle, adjusts (i) processing at theECU of the image data captured by the plurality of cameras and (ii)processing at the ECU of the sensor data captured by the plurality ofsensors; and wherein the vehicular driving assist system, responsive todetermining presence of the other vehicle approaching the path of travelof the equipped vehicle, alerts a driver of the equipped vehicle. 24.The vehicular driving assist system of claim 23, wherein the pluralityof sensors comprises (i) the plurality of radar sensors and (ii) theplurality of lidar sensors.
 25. The vehicular driving assist system ofclaim 23, wherein the vehicular driving assist system alerts the drivervia display of forward cross-traffic video images at a display at aninterior portion of the equipped vehicle, and wherein the forwardcross-traffic video images are derived from the image data captured byat least one camera of the plurality of cameras.
 26. The vehiculardriving assist system of claim 23, wherein the vehicular driving assistsystem, responsive to determining presence of the other vehicle andresponsive to determination that a risk of collision between theequipped vehicle and the other vehicle is greater than a threshold risk,controls braking of the equipped vehicle to reduce speed of the equippedvehicle in the forward direction.
 27. The vehicular driving assistsystem of claim 23, wherein the driving environment is determined by thevehicular driving assist system.
 28. The vehicular driving assist systemof claim 27, wherein the vehicular driving assist system, responsive tothe driving environment at the equipped vehicle corresponding to anenvironment in which sensor data captured by the plurality of sensors iscompromised, increases reliance on processing at the ECU of the imagedata captured by the plurality of cameras and decreases reliance on ofprocessing at the ECU of the sensor data captured by the plurality ofsensors.
 29. The vehicular driving assist system of claim 27, whereinthe vehicular driving assist system, responsive to the drivingenvironment at the equipped vehicle being indicative of visibility atthe vehicle being compromised, reduces reliance on processing at the ECUof the image data captured by the plurality of cameras and increasesreliance on processing at the ECU of the sensor data captured by theplurality of sensors.
 30. A vehicular driving assist system, thevehicular driving assist system comprising: a plurality of camerasdisposed at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular driving assist systemand viewing exterior of the vehicle, the cameras capturing image data;wherein each camera of the plurality of cameras comprises a CMOS imagingarray, having at least one million photosensors arranged in rows andcolumns; a plurality of sensors disposed at the vehicle, the pluralityof sensors capturing sensor data; wherein the plurality of sensorscomprises at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) aplurality of radar sensors and (ii) a plurality of lidar sensors;wherein the plurality of sensors includes at least (i) a driver-sidesensor that senses at least forward and sideward of the vehicle and (ii)a passenger-side sensor that senses at least forward and sideward of thevehicle; an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electroniccircuitry and associated software; wherein the electronic circuitry ofthe ECU comprises at least one data processor for processing image datacaptured by the plurality of cameras and for processing sensor datacaptured by the plurality of sensors; wherein the vehicular drivingassist system, based at least in part on a driving condition at thevehicle, begins processing image data captured by the plurality ofcameras and sensor data captured by the plurality of sensors; whereinthe driving condition comprises determination that a geographic locationof the vehicle corresponds to one selected from the group consisting of(i) a parking lot, (ii) an intersection and (iii) a driveway; whereinthe vehicular driving assist system, while the vehicle is travelling ina forward direction along a path of travel and responsive to processingat the ECU of image data captured by the plurality of cameras and sensordata captured by the plurality of sensors, is operable to determinepresence of a pedestrian approaching the path of travel of the vehicle;wherein the vehicular driving assist system, based at least in part on adriving environment at the vehicle, and when operating to determinepresence of the pedestrian approaching the path of travel of thevehicle, adjusts (i) processing at the ECU of the image data captured bythe plurality of cameras and (ii) processing at the ECU of the sensordata captured by the plurality of sensors; and wherein the vehiculardriving assist system, responsive to determining presence of thepedestrian approaching the path of travel of the vehicle, alerts adriver of the vehicle.
 31. The vehicular driving assist system of claim30, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises (i) the plurality ofradar sensors and (ii) the plurality of lidar sensors.
 32. The vehiculardriving assist system of claim 30, wherein the vehicular driving assistsystem alerts the driver via display of forward cross-traffic videoimages at a display at an interior portion of the vehicle, and whereinthe forward cross-traffic video images are derived from the image datacaptured by at least one camera of the plurality of cameras.
 33. Thevehicular driving assist system of claim 30, wherein the vehiculardriving assist system, responsive to determining presence of thepedestrian and responsive to determination that a risk of collisionbetween the vehicle and the pedestrian is greater than a threshold risk,controls braking of the vehicle to reduce speed of the vehicle in theforward direction.
 34. The vehicular driving assist system of claim 30,wherein the driving environment is determined by the vehicular drivingassist system.
 35. The vehicular driving assist system of claim 34,wherein the vehicular driving assist system, responsive to the drivingenvironment at the vehicle corresponding to an environment in whichsensor data captured by the plurality of sensors is compromised,increases reliance on processing at the ECU of the image data capturedby the plurality of cameras and decreases reliance on of processing atthe ECU of the sensor data captured by the plurality of sensors.
 36. Thevehicular driving assist system of claim 34, wherein the vehiculardriving assist system, responsive to the driving environment at thevehicle being indicative of visibility at the vehicle being compromised,reduces reliance on processing at the ECU of the image data captured bythe plurality of cameras and increases reliance on processing at the ECUof the sensor data captured by the plurality of sensors.